Well, the news has begun to trickle in. Thanks to all who sent me updates. Unfortunately, I discovered (perhaps too late for some of you) that some e-mails were going to my spam folder. If you sent me an update and it is not published below, please accept my apologies and re-send it to me; I will get it into the next edition. For those of you who have not had a chance to share your news yet, please e-mail it.

I enjoyed reconnecting with Rob Bentley, who is a senior HR consultant at Hewitt Associates, where he's worked for about 11 years now in the area of sales force effectiveness. He writes, "Suzanne and I have been married about 10 years now and have three kids — Grace (7), Abby (5), and James (3) — and still live in Lake Forest. I keep in touch with, but certainly not frequently enough, the usual suspects — Jim Muschalik, Steve Bole, Scott Wiggins and Tim Mahon. I also see Andy Marwede and Ilse Schaupp fairly regularly because they both live in Lake Forest, and I bump into Bob Becker occasionally because he also works at Hewitt. I lost track of Kim Kristiansen in recent years but had kept in touch with him for the first 10 years that we were out. I can't think of anything too profound at the moment, but I can report that Dean Jacobs is still alive and kicking. I ran into him at LaGuardia earlier this summer, and he's still plugging away by working on boards for various companies."

Doug Harmon is married with three children. He recently relocated to Darien, Conn., and is working for RBS Securities, managing the real estate loan markets business. RBS underwrites large commercial real estate loans to borrowers around the world and either securitizes or syndicates the loans. He is excited to be back in the NYC metro area and to re-connect with various Kellogg classmates.

Jeff Silverberg writes, "I have finally had the time to write a few lines to contribute to the Class Notes section of Kellogg World. Since I have never sent in an update, I have almost 17 years to cover! As some may recall, I went directly from Kellogg to Czechoslovakia as a volunteer on a one-year program similar to the Peace Corps. To my surprise, I am now on my 17th year here and counting. Along the way I have witnessed the birth of a country (Slovakia), created more than 1,500 jobs in two developing economies, managed more than $200 million of invested resources, confronted the mafia (and won), started and sold several successful companies, introduced ultimate frisbee to Slovakia and traveled much of the world.

"When I arrived in Czechoslovakia in the summer of 1991, I was assigned to a nonprofit organization that advised would-be entrepreneurs in a country where the very concept of private business had existed for less than 18 months (you can't imagine the business plans I saw). After that I ran my own investment management company, and then in late 1994 I introduced a local entrepreneur to an American media company and together we created a commercial television business that quickly became Slovakia's most powerful media and one of its most profitable companies. By the beginning of 1997, I was in Warsaw, Poland, building and running another broadcast television business. Two years later, I was recruited to return to Slovakia to direct the country's largest cable television operator following a series of acquisitions. With that experience in hand, in 2000 I left to start a fiber-optic-based telecom company in the capital city of Slovakia. After a tough start, demand increased exponentially and the business took off. By the end of 2005 we decided the timing was right and we successfully sold the company to a regional competitor.

"At the time of the sale of my telecom company, I started a real-estate development business that has since built and sold one shopping center and currently has a pipeline of projects that should keep us occupied for the next few years.

"Most important, I met my wife, Syska, here and we now have two boys, Josh and Ben. Although no one will confuse Bratislava with Boston, there is much to do here in addition to cycling and skiing across the border in Austria, swimming in thermal pools in Hungary, and drinking the local wines and beers all across the region. If you are coming through my neighborhood, let me know."

Larry Sloan writes, "I am now president of a trade association in Washington, D.C., called the Adhesive and Sealant Council (ASC). Like other trade groups, we provide professional development, market studies and other reports, government advocacy, and a sense of shared community for the adhesive and sealant industry. Our 125 members are companies that manufacture adhesives and sealants used in both industry and around the house and home, as well as industry suppliers (raw materials, equipment and consultants). I manage a staff of eight and have been involved in the nonprofit world since 2001. It is a real cottage industry that I knew little about when I made the switch from the for-profit world back then. There is literally a trade group or professional society representing every conceivable facet of society. You name it, there is an organization representing it. There is even an organization of association executives that I belong to — an association of associations!

	Venessa Acham '91

Kent Hitchcock is currently a managing director at Morgan Stanley (where he has been since graduation), running their global transportation and infrastructure business. He has three boys — Ryan (11), Henry (9) and Jack (6) — and is married to Mia. His home address is: 515 Manhasset Woods Road; Manhasset, NY, 11030. His work address and contact information is: Morgan Stanley Investment Banking Division; 1585 Broadway, Floor 33; New York, NY, 10036; tel: 212.761.8267 and fax: 212.507.2327. He can be e-mailed at Kent.Hitchcock@morganstanley.com.

Venessa Acham went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land in April and May. It was an amazing and memorable experience! Venessa, along with 23 others, traveled throughout Israel and Palestine. The journey was filled with contemplation, discussions, activities and tours about the challenges and hopes in the Holy Land. Venessa was intrigued by the culture, arts and traditions of this complex and controversial region. Presently Venessa is a business strategist with a national laboratory and resides in Northern New England.